​Barry Williamson retired in January 2017 after a 20 year career in the United States Navy. He discovered the CrossFit lifestyle four years ago and bought CrossFit LifeSport on Douglas Road in Toledo early this year.

With two additional coaches, Barry and his staff are committed to helping others find their full fitness potential. “I love to see when people achieve more than they thought their body could do,” says Barry. “There is no better feeling than when someone gets their first pull up or lifts a barbell heavier than they ever thought they would!”

Barry is level 1 & 2 CrossFit certified, meaning he has completed educational coursework qualifying him to train others. He has also competed at the annual CrossFit Games in the Masters Mens division.

Barry has big plans for the future of CrossFit LifeSport. First, he intends to completely update and replace the existing equipment in the gym. He also plans to double the square footage of the gym to make room for new equipment.

CrossFit is a fitness program designed for any athletic ability level. It uses WOD’s (Workout of the Day) to encourage daily fitness, and trainers help participants track their results. The goal isn’t to compare one person to another, rather to encourage each person to be their own best by working to better their personal record. Each WOD is scalable, meaning that anyone can try the workout and be challenged, from someone in the beginning of their fitness journey, all the way up to Olympic trained athletes.​Barry’s goal with his gym is to challenge people to reach new fitness heights. For those a little nervous, he encourages, “Come out once and try it. We will give you a free demo and teach you how to do everything safely.” There is even an option on the front page of his website for those interested to sign-up for their free session.

Emily Dammeyer is the Communications Manager at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has prior volunteer and work experience in community outreach and communication. ​